San Diego to consider plastic bag ban

A San Diego City Council committee advanced a proposed plastic bag ban, and the city’s attorney will likely tweak the language in the bill before the full body votes on the measure.

The proposal is modeled after a measure in Los Angeles, City Council documents outline.

The ban would apply to retail stores with annual sales of $2 million or more, drug stores and pharmacies. The proposal would also force stores to charge 10 cents for paper bags. The measure excludes restaurants, non-profit organizations and those on supplemental food programs wouldn’t be charged the 10 cents for bags.

There will be an environmental review consultant before the language might be tweaked and sent to the full City Council, city documents said.

With a population of 1.3 million, San Diego is the largest city in California without a plastic bag ban, according to the environmental group Californians Against Waste.